Hail the Silver Plumage of Pride
by Madfantasy
Summary: My second fic, written espically for the absolutely adorable silver dragons in FF9. Thanks to Chaoswings for helping to edit ! I've altered some details in the fic, but other than that, all's fine. Thanks for your support ! ^_^


  
Thanks for reading, I've done some slight editing and put it back on, hope you enjoy ^_^   
  
  
  
  


Hail the Silver Plumage of Pride   
  
  


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the tranquil blue, the violet portal shone   
our loyalty to our home and family sworn   
the patch of sky appeared, our fellow dragons braised,   
our assault, with bravery and courage raised. 

"KEEP AWAY FROM OUR HOME !" we roared,   
as millions of silver companions soared.   
Thunder rolled, lightning flashed,   
mob of silver velvet slashed.   
  
  
  


The portal to gaia opened, a tempting violet orb spilling its light, breaking the tranquil blue of Terra. My fellow brothers and sisters, together with me, flew through the space of swirling nothingness. We were told by Garland that the people of Gaia were intruding Terra, our beloved homeland. We knew we would fight back and be successful. 

WE did not need his encouragement. We would have spring into action by ourselves as long as we sense dangers in our homeland. We were not his puppets. There were at least a million of us, and neither Garland nor a bunch of Gaian airships would be a match for us. We were united and faithful to one another, much more so than any Gaian beings who killed their own kind, and allowed the Terran sorcerer, Kuja, to control and destroy them. 

Our fellow sister, the one who flew with the sorcerer, had warned us about the power of the airships, the golden Fire Monsters, she called them. We had picked up the name from her, but we did not heed her warning, because we also hear from her how Bahamut, the dragon king, destroyed a whole fleet of them, just by a blow of his mad power. 

It was quite a while, but not a bad experience, being surrounded by thunderous flapping of wings, gusts of warm breath with soft, velvet feathers at my face. All I could see of my friends were feathers and their violet-tipped tails. We felt like an army of a million strong soldiers, ready for battle. A while later, a patch of blue sky shone ahead. My sisters and I grouped together, ready for attack. We swept out into Gaia, flood of silver plumage and violet flames.   
  
  
  


_   
the brown Fire Monsters, were instead, silent   
while, in preparing its attack at our defiance,   
lifted its deadly neck,   
and revealed golden talons, protruding from polished decks. _

My brother cried, "for Terra doth we battle !"   
eyes shining like a blaze as he hollered   
"Protect our home from these basest mettles* !"   
answered Gale, my best friend,   
forever helping me on, those faithful friends of mine.   
  
_(*basest mettles -- unvaluable, dull metals, here stating un-noble characters)_   
  


"Roar, ROAR..." One of us started the war song, and was immediately joined in by the million of us. It echoed like thunderclap in the blue sky of Gaia, a song of death, massacre and ultimate destruction. Our huge family darted swiftly out from the portal, anger and hatred exploding from our hearts as we caught sight of our approaching enemies. It was the first time I've ever left Terra. The elders would probably say I'm too young, but I'm so terribly proud of my family. 

KEEP AWAY FROM OUR HOME! We cried, our voices a series of angry growls and roars in our enemies' ears. Our silver feathers glinted like platinum amours as we attacked. We spread ourselves out like a silver haze in no time to prevent the enemies from gaining the upper hand, attempting to daunt them with our large number at the same time. 

Encouraged by one another, we charged like some sort of gigantic Roman army, striking, clawing, tearing at our enemies. Silver bolts of lightning appeared from our mouths and unleashed themselves at the Fire Monsters, not with the slightest hint of mercy. Following the example of my seniors, I charged up bolts of lightning and released them at the Fire Monsters.   
  
  
  


BOOM ! Orbs of fire exploded,   
our magnificent plume and talons eroded.   
my friends, few tens of them,   
reduced to blood and ashes from one blow. 

Roar, roar, a song of massacre indeed,   
reality , a warning we did not heed   
and the silver one's help we should have pleaded,   
To unleash the dragon king's power on the fleet.   
  
  
  


The Fire Monsters seemed undaunted. Their gold rimmed bodies sparkled even under the dark sky. The little ones in it were scurrying back and forth busily, much to our amusement, but we were unable to get to them. Feeble, Lowly creatures, scums of the earth who dared intrude our peaceful homeland, not by their own power but by riding the Fire Monsters, one of my friend spat. 

All of a sudden, the Fire Monsters showed their true power. Hellish talons of fire, they were, for they took down our allies by the tens and hundreds each time it striked with its horrible fireballs. The first fireball exploded a distant away from where I was, but I could feel horror creep up to me as I watched it launch. Soon streaks of orange and gold were darting to and fro in the deep blue sky, each aimed mercilessly at some members of our great family. We were surprised, taken aback by this powerful retaliation at first, but soon regained our composure and attacked, this time more cautiously.   
  
  
  


the Blue Eye approached our home   
controlled by rivals, this we know,   
There is no turning back from our foe   
And we tore at the Blue one, determined and bold. 

The Big One appeared, brown hull shining with power,   
and Isaiah the bold one, raged beyond words, strike with choler,   
He had lost his friends, and mate and family too,   
but the fire monster just smashed into him and broke his spine in two.   
  
  
  


The Blue Eye was making its way to the violet portal. i, as well as my fellow dragons, knew our silver friend and her keeper were not responsible for that. One of the strongest and bravest dragons led his warriors to it, tearing through the air quickly and accurately, those magnificent silver streaks of deadly feather and lightning. 

A new Fire Monster, several times the size of others, appeared. It took a sharp turn and blocked the group's assault. The leader of the group, unable to steer from the sudden obstacle, smashed his head against the rock-hard hull of the Monster, followed by his faithful comerades. He must have attempted a kamikaze attack. We could hear his bones shatter, and he sighed words of encouragement as he fell, down, down, into the deep blue sea, his body damaged beyond retrival of any miracle. 

"Hail the silver plumage of pride," he said. 

Emotions of anger and sadness swelled in each and everyone's heart. We wanted revenge. We were going to win and make them pay for their cruel assault on us, everyone thought. Just then, the Fire Monsters loaded their talons for another wave of attack. Floods of flame and cannon filled the skies, reducing anyone in its path to helpless heaps of smothered feathers, ashes and blood. The attack was swift, deadly and painful. The air stinked of gunpowder and charred flesh; thick grey smog and angry roars of our friends mixed in the atmosphere. It stinged my lungs but I ignored the discomfort in my nostrils. 

_   
  
  
  
_

"Hail the silver plumage of pride", this he sighed,   
as he fell pass me, his last words as he disappeared.   
The wrath of the troop multiplied,   
and they fought bravely on, nothing in the world they now fear. 

"REVENGE !" one cried,   
And all answered, our fledge of silver wings spread with pride.   
noble hearts, with bravery carved,   
were nothing but trash in our enemies' hearts.   
  
  
  


It was then we realised that our silver lightning bolts, our pride, were of little use to our horrible enemies. Fueled by anger for the death of our brave friend, and the fact that our powerful magic could not daunt our enemies, we, the mob of silver dragons, went hysterical, and threw ourselves like mad, screaming monsters at the culprits. 

"Murderers!" 

"Scums!" 

"Die, intruders!" 

Cries were heard all over, and the sky exploded from time to time with fire and feathers, mixed with streaks of silver lightning and golden fire. We swooped down screeching at our hateful opponents, striking, tearing, casting magics, or simply crashing our bodies against their hard outer shells when all else failed. The Fire Monsters showed no mercy, too, and they striked out as we did, scoring several hits each time. 

I kept away from the Fire Monsters as much as I could, for I was at a loss of what to do. It was my first time in a real battle. I did my best, though, by launching my most powerful magics at the monsters, hoping that they helped. I also tried to judge the direction from which the attacks come from by observing the Fire Monsters' talons, and roared at my allies to warn them, and I wondered if the other dragons that are of my age were doing the same thing. At times, I would sail downwards and slash at the Fire Monsters, and soon it became the only thing I do as my magic powers diminished. 

_   
  
  
  
_

The angry talons striked,   
as our magnificent family slashed.   
We looked down upon them as scums,   
for they deserve not to be gold, but worthless trash. 

The dragons, brave and strong,   
chivalry and majesty in our noble form.   
We shall soar bravely on, even in strife,   
for our silver spirits are proud to uphold our dragon pride.   
  
  
  


Just then, the roaring rage of a fireball hit me. I saw it from the corner of my eye, like a slow motion hallunicination, but there was no way to dodge. It was, in reality, too fast, but it was like an eternity, that fateful second, when I heard the flame in the distant, turning to a dreadful roar in my ears; its warmth and glow, transforming to hellish red hot tongues, as it approached me, hungry for my blood. And then the hard mass of fire, contacting my skin. 

It hit me in the side of my chest, crushing through the bones and flesh, transforming me to an orange heap of burning feathers. Its monsterous glow filled my field of vision. I raised my head to let out an angry roar, but all that came out was hot blood and guts that filled my throat, choking the life out of me. I felt my broken wings and limbs melt away in the searing heat of the flames, and at my side several of my allies suffered the same fate as me, flaming in shearing pain, slowly smothered and reduced to useless masses of lifeless carcasses. 

It pained our hearts to be attacked, to be hit by these worthless opponents. The war cries of our fellow silver dragons echoed through my empty shell, their war instincts elevated with each death. While my brother and sisters fought courageously above, I fell faster and faster. The deep blue sky, the golden fireballs and silver feathers blurred and whirled into a random mixture of colors. The flame in my soul flickered, and extinguished, replaced by a mist of cold darkness as my useless body crashed into the icy cold waves below. 

I knew they would win.   
  
  
  


It must have been a long time, I feared   
since the flames and pain sheared my body to pieces.   
"Worry not," a gentle voice I hear,   
"for this is the place to rest in peace."   
I looked around, and there they were,   
my friends who gallantly fought the ruthless intruders.   
the Brave One was there, and so were my friend, Krystal,   
and we consoled one another as more entered death's black portal. 

This is the place of the souls,   
and the voice said, more would join us soon.   
I thought of my best friend Gale, and my brother, but not my foes   
but I shook my head. Surely, they won't come and join us too?   
  
  
  
  


------------------------------------------ 

  
  
  


Several weeks later   
  


  
A thin, sticky old man staggered slowly along the beach in the mid-morning's sunlight, along with his scrawny son. They caught sight of several silver feathers, glittering in the morning sunlight. 

"Look, Grandpa, LOOK! Maybe we can take those beautiful things and sell them in the market, and buy some food!" the small boy shouted happily as he ran to the sea. 

The old man approached the waves, and was stunningly greeted the huge mass of charred, smelly carcasses lining the beach, distorted and marred by fires of war, coated by dried hard clogs of blood. Claws and talons, frozen in time, portrude from their bodies, revealing the hellish heat and unrest they went through. Jaws, half opened, perhaps in a silent death song, perhaps in an unaudiable scream of pain, perked on broken necks, revealing the savageness of the fires of war. 

Several bones and ribs, with feathers and flesh still attached, and bloody from battle, were scattered, carelessly strewn by the waves. Innumberable broken feathers, covered with dark crimson blood, formed morbid halos around the dragons' useless bodies, transforming the seaside to a silent graveyard, not visited by any other living creatures for they dared not approach. 

The old man squatted down and picked up a fragment of broken wing, then scowled and jumped back in disgust. 

"Come on, boy, we've got to go! These ... things are useless, they are all rotten! We can't eat them, and no-one would buy even if we sell them. Don't touch those feathers! You might get sick. Let's go." He yelled, and the boy obeyed and trotted obediently to him. 

He gently gave the stinking, worm-infested carcass beside him a final nudge and walked away. They must have been magnificent creatures, the boy thought. They were fighting for something, and I wondered who could have been cruel enough to burn them like that. The boy held an undamaged, soft, shining silver feather underneath his tattered jacket. Grandpa said I should not touch them, he thought, but I wonder if this special creature's feather will bring me good luck? 

"Grandpa !" shouted the child suddenly. The old man looked at him, curious. 

"I'm going to be as brave as a dragon when I grow up !" The boy said proudly, his innocent hazel eyes locking the old man's, "I'm going to be a soldier, and I'm gonna fight bravely to protect you!" 

The old man's eyes widened. He chuckled and ruffled his grandchild's hair. 

"Sure you will, sonny." 

The tall and short shadow of an old man and a young child disappeared, leaving behind two sets of footprints, slowly erased by the warm lapping waves.   
  
  
  


The spirits of the silver dragons lived,   
matched by no other, never fading, or tarnished by time.   
A story of life, death and courage they weaved,   
baptised by the fires of war, they live on, silver creatures of   
courage and charm.   
  


Who should we blame, for the ruthless, cruel act of destruction,   
carried out against these magnificent creatures of the sky?   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
